A Story Of Burgess
by Porky Poo
Summary: A story of the past. Concerning Warren Burgess. He gets caught in the act of breaking an out-standing house rule at FableHaven. My first story so Please Read and Reveiw.
1. Chapter 1

Warren paused at the edge of the yard, even though he was allowed to travel the woods during the day he didn't think Stan would take to kindly to him doing it in the dead of night. He glanced back out the dark house and wished his brother Dale could be with him now. But he hadn't dared to tell him about any of his late-night journeys, because he never knew when Dale would spill his guts to Stan and then Warren wouldn't be aloud out of the yard.

Tonight he was going to see two creatures that Stan most definitely disproved of and voiced those opinions whenever Warren mentioned them. They were Newel and Doren the most immature satyrs on the property. Stan considered them a terrible influence on the boys and found upon them even carrying on a conversation. But Warren had ignored all of Stan's attempts to keep the boys free from the satyrs' influences and had quickly made friends.

Warren would bring them simple things from the outside world at first but soon he had outfitted them not only with two tenesse rackets but also with a portable TV. This was of course all done without Stan's knowledge, which was one of the reasons Warren was sneaking out. The Satyrs constantly needed batteries for their TV and so whenever it was convenient Warren would sneak them a rather large supply. He then used Batteries as a sort of blackmail to get the rather lazy Satyrs to do things for him.

Tonight was convenient for Warren because he had gone earlier that day to town on a shopping trip with Ruth, Stan's wife. And miraculously without her notice he had been able to buy and stash fifty size D Batteries and a couple of containers of tennis balls which the Satyrs used up surprisingly quickly as well. He now carried these great treasures in a backpack slung over one shoulder.

As he shifted his pack and set off into the woods he couldn't help wishing for a more convenient way of travel, his meeting place with Newel and Doren was not far from the yard but he wanted to get this over and done with before anyone realized he was missing. He wished he had Hugo the Golem to carry him but Hugo couldn't take orders from him, he would take orders from Dale but not from Warren. Not for the first time he wished Stan would give the Golem a lasting command to listen to all orders given by Warren, but Stan had a rule that if you couldn't be trusted with simple things you couldn't be trusted with Hugo. And of course Warren wasn't all that reliable.

Lost in his thoughts it took Warren a minute to realize that he was not walking alone but that he could hear more than just his own footfalls. He paused, but when he stopped apparently so did the other thing. Maybe he had just been imagining it, but no, when he started walking there were the other steps as well. He gripped the flashlight that he held all the tighter and slowly turned around afraid of what he might find creeping along behind him. The only thing that greeted him was the dark empty path that he had been fallowing. He contemplated returning to the house but then this might be the only opportunity he had to get the satyrs unobserved and decided that he would continue on.

As he went on the additional steps disappeared and he was again walking alone. Before long he spotted a light ahead on the trail that marked where Newel and Doren were waiting for him. As he approached Newel called out, "Where have you been, we've been waiting for hours."

"Let's just say there was a delay getting out of the house," Warren replied good-naturally.

"Well have you got them?" Doren asked getting rather acsited as he spied the bag on Warrens back.

"Of course I've got them," Warren told them. "Fifty size D Batteries and three containers of tennis balls, just as you ordered."

"Ah, Warren you are our savior," Newel stated as he took the bag that Warren offered him. "We just lost out last tennis ball today."

"Yeah, because somebody was a sore loser and chucked it into the woods," Doren muttered under his breath, just loud enough to be heard.

This resulted in an outcry from Newel that he wouldn't have been a sore loser if he had lost fairly, to which Doren replied something else about Newel being blind. At which point Warren quickly said his goodbyes and departed back the way he had come. As he walked he heard the Satyrs argument slowly fade away and by the time he reached the yard he couldn't hear them anymore.

However as Warren approached the house he noticed that there were several lights on and he had a sinking feeling. There was at least one person awake and if they hadn't noticed that Warren was missing yet they would as soon as he walked through the door. He began to devise a plan to explain why he had been outside in the middle of the night but he soon learned that it was useless as he heard voices coming from the house as he approached. He recognized them; it was Dale and Stan obviously disagreeing with each other about something. Warren didn't even pause to listen but walked right up to the door and opened it.

As he stepped inside three very anxious faces turned to him, there expressions were all as different as they were. Dale looked so relived it would have made Warren laugh in any other circumstance; Ruth looked so concerned that it didn't surprise him when she gave him a hug and asked if he was alright. Before he could answered he saw Stan who looked like he was about to punch something.

"Where have you been?" He asked in the sternest voice Warren had ever heard him use.


	2. Chapter 2

Warren paced the attic bedroom that he shared with Dale. He had been banished here until Stan and Ruth could decide what to do with him. They had woken up in the middle of the night to Dale furiously banging on their bedroom door, and it was soon discovered that Warren was missing. They had made a thorough search of the house and it was determined that Warren had ventured into the woods alone at night. To say that Stan was furious would be a dramatic understatement he was something quite worse. And when Warren had shown up unharmed a few minutes before they were going to go look for him, Stan had promptly sent Warren to his room until further notice.

As Warren waited he wondered what they would do to him. He had obviously broken a very serious rule that had been set in place as soon as Dale and Warren had come to stay with Stan and Ruth the closes family that the two boys had even though they were distant cousins. The rules were there because the woods were extremely dangerous and Stan did not want ether Dale or Warren to be harmed, killed, or devoured. Warren had felt that these rules were childish and that he was old enough to fend for himself (he was a teenager now).

The nock on the door pulled Warren back from his thoughts, and Dale entered the room before Warren could even ecnolage that the door had been opened.

"There thinking of sending you away," Dale said as he flopped down on his bed.

"Are they serious?" Warren asked sounding rather concerned as he paused in is pacing to look at Dale.

"Stan is," Dale replied. "Ruth's trying to get you a second chance, although it doesn't seem to be working. Stan says you've had too many second chances already."

Warren walked over and sat down on his own bed, "Do you think they'll do it?" He asked he didn't want to leave Fable Haven but somehow in the back of his mind he know that he most definitely deserved to be sent away. Maybe if he apologized profusely they would let him stay just a bit longer.

"In my opinion you don't stand much of a chance," Dale replied pushing himself up on is elbows. "Although you never know Stan may change his mind."

"Yeah and the centaurs might throw a party and invite all their friends," Warren said and resumed his pacing.

"You do deserve much worse, I'm surprised they let you come up here and didn't immediately lock you in the dungeon," Dale told him and flopped back down to stare at the ceiling.

"This is almost as bad as the dungeon," Warren lamented. "I couldn't stand the waiting either way. Why can't they just make up their minds about what to do with me so that I can relax?"

"You think you could possible relax after they decide to send you away?" Dale questioned turning a little so that he could see his younger brother.

"Well, no. But it would be better than this. I think I'm going mad." Warren said and then after glancing at Dale asked, "Why are you so calm about all this?"

Dale sat up and looked at his brother as if the question was some kind of joke. "Because I knew this day has been coming for years," He said finally. "You don't listen and you're constantly getting in trouble. I'm not surprised, that's all."

"You think I deserve to be sent away?" Warren looked taken aback.

"Not sent away, exactly, just taught a lesson," Dale said and flopped back down again.

Warren grew silent at these words and continued to pace, Dale just laid there staring at the ceiling wishing his brother wouldn't have snuck out or that he had just been quite and waited for him to return instead of running to Stan and Ruth. It was still dark out and Warren wished he could curl up and forget about the whole thing. The silence seemed to surround them and it grew rather heavy. They stayed up there together until Warren was sure that Dale had drifted off to sleep. When all of a sudden he heard the door to Stan's study open and close, they must have decided what to do with him.

"Warren," Ruth called up the stairs. Warren made his way down the stairs but stopped short when he say the look on Ruth's face, she looked at him with complete sympathy and he didn't deserve anyone's sympathy. Whatever was going to happen to him must be pretty bad if Ruth looked like that.

"What is it?" Warren asked for the first time realizing that what Dale said about him leaving Fable Haven might actually come to pass. "Am I locked in the dungeon? Confined to my room?"

"I'm afraid it's much worse than any of that," Ruth said sadly. "Stan insists that you leave Fable Haven until you can learn how to obey."

And there they were, the dreaded words that Dale had warned him would be the outcome, but somehow they didn't seem as tarable when his brother said them as they did now. How could he possibly leave Fable Haven this was his home, where would he go?

"I tried to convince Stan that you had nowhere to go," Ruth continued and it took Warren a moment to realize that she was still talking to him. "But once he sets his mind on something he's as stubborn as a centaur."

All of a sudden Warren felt dizzy and tired; he sat down on the stairs and held his head in his hands. "I can't leave," He finally managed to say.

"I know," Ruth said seeming to feel the same way Warren did. "But it's only for a short time and you'll be back before you know it. Now what would you say to some hot chocolate?"


	3. Chapter 3

The bag in front of Warren looked rather small, yet it contained everything he thought he would need in the upcoming months. It had been decided that the best place to send him was to a close if rather distantly located friend of Stan's, professor Diglebe an archeologist and professor at the university in England. At first Warren didn't believe that they would send him to England but then he hadn't believed in magical creatures at first ether. The fact that he was leaving not only Fable Haven but also the country seemed like and extreme measure, but Stan had explained that if Warren was permitted to stay in the same country as the preserve he would most likely run right back. Warren had to admit that this was most likely true and so had surrendered his cause to pack.

So there he was, packed and waiting to get a ride to the airport where he would catch a plain to London and from there a car ride to professer Diglebe's home. Warren couldn't put off the inevitable any longer and so grabbing his bag he took one last look around the bed room and left, closing the door behind him. When he reached the ground floor he found no one there and so uncertain what to do he proceeded outside.

He stood for some time on the porch simply watching the beautiful fairies zipping around the yard, pausing every now and again to stare at their reflections in one of the many water fountains. This would be the last time he would see any magical creature for some time and he didn't want to waste it. He was in to proses of watching an alarmingly bright colored fairy when a voice called to him from the woods.

"Warren, come here," it said and Warren could have recognized it anywhere. It was the voice of Newel the stayer. And when Warren looked toward the woods he saw both Newel and Doren standing right at the edge, they weren't allowed in except with special permission from Stan. Warren jogged over to where they stood.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" He asked once he reached them.

"Dale told us you were leaving," Doren said, "We came to see you off."

"And also to ask you to bring us back some more batteries," Newel added.

"Are you out already?" Warren asked knowing perfectly well that with these two it was most deffenitly possible.

"No," Newel admitted, "But by the time you come back we will be."

"Which reminds me of what we should be doing right now," Doren remarked beginning to back away into the woods.

"Yes, were sorry to leave," Newel said with not a hint of remorse in his voice, "But there are so many shows and so little time."

The satyrs disappeared into the woods and Warren heard Newel call, "Remember the Batteries." And then Warren was left alone once more, wondering if he would see his brother before he left or if Dale had simply not cared enough to say goodbye.

Before long Warren heard Ruth calling him from the porch and so he rushed back to find not only Ruth but also Stan and Dale waiting for him. Not long after he got there all four of them were in the car and on their way to the airport. The car ride was long but the entire thing was spent in absolute silence; it was as if a spell had been cast on them.

At the airport the goodbyes were long and hard, Warren didn't want to leave and technically no one else did ether, although Stan and Dale would never admit to it. Ruth gave him a big hug and Stan gave him a firm handshake with the warning not to get in any trouble. From Dale he reserved a hug as well as the advice to not crash the plane.

And then the time had come for the goodbyes to be over and Warren to be gone. And so he put on his brave face, gave his family a smile and wave and then walked through the porthole and was gone from view.

* * *

**Author's Note,**

**Please forgive me for the delay and also for the rather short chapter. I have not had time to write lately but hope to soon update with a longer, better chapter.**

**pp**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note-**

**I really must say that I am sorry about the rather delayed chapter I have been very busy and have had no time to write anything but today I found myself with a free afternoon and so I wrote this. I hope you like it.**

* * *

Warren had never felt so alone and small in his life. He had made it to England with no problem, meaning that he hadn't caused the plane to crash. But now he stood waiting for the man that was supposed to come and take him to professor Digelbe's house, however he had no idea what this man looked like and he was unsure if the man knew what he looked like ether. As he was beginning to doubt if the man was even going to show he saw someone appear from behind a large group of people that had just moved away. He was a normal sized man with red hair sticking out from under a hat, in his hand he held a sign that said 'Warren Burgess' in hastily drawn letters.

Warren made his way towards the man clutching his bag in his hand. "That's me," he said when he had reached the man, and then when the man seemed completely dumbfounded added, "I'm Warren Burgess."

"Oh, yes, of course," the man said in a very British accent, "I'm sorry; it's just that I pictured someone a little taller." It was true that Warren was rather short for his age and he knew it. His brother made it perfectly clear that he was a midget, but Ruth told him that it was only because he hadn't reached his growth spurt yet and she was sure that he would soon be taller than Dale.

"I haven't finished growing yet, I'll get taller soon," Warren said a little offended; of course he was a little offended anytime anyone mentioned his height, and it was a little worse when a complete stranger noticed it.

"I'm sure you will," the man said with a laugh, which didn't help Warren's situation one bit. "Anyway," the man continued, "it's nice to meet you Warren I'm Garrard Diglebe."

Now it was Warrens turn to be surprised he did not even think that this was professor Diglebe, he had been almost certain that this was only his driver. He had pictured the professor as being old with white hair and a beard, the kind of man that would wear a sweater vest. He could not have been farther from the truth, the real professor Diglebe was no more than forty and probably wouldn't even be caught dead in a sweater vest. It was then that Warren realized he had pictured the professor not the archeologist that stood before him.

"You're professor Digelbe?" Warren asked completely astonished.

"Is there something wrong with that?" The professor asked a smile playing across his face.

"Oh, no, nothing's wrong with that," Warren assured him, "It's just that I pictured someone older."

At this the professor burst out laughing unable to hold it in any longer. It was a while before Garrard could stop the laughter that was coming, and when he did he managed to say, "Do you know how many students have said the exact same thing to me? Apparently all professors have to be old, I don't mind it being that way, I always love explaining to people that I'm a professor; they always have the best facial expressions. Come on then, we can chat more in the car."

As professor Diglebe led Warren out of the airport he couldn't help but think that with a man like the professor this would be the best vacation ever.

The car ride to the professor's house was long but not at all boring, Warren and the professor talked the entire time. Warren learned that since it was summer professor Diglebe didn't have to teach any classes and therefore was able to spend most of his time at a nearby archeologist site. The professor told Warren about his house, how it wasn't really all that much but it was home base to a man who did a lot of traveling.

Warren of course told the professor all about his brother and his life at Fable Haven. However he did not say anything about the fact that Fable Haven was really a magical preserve infested with strange creatures. No one had told him if professor Diglebe knew about the magical world so Warren was playing it safe, just in case.

It seemed like no time had passed at all when they pulled of the main road onto a gravel drive way. They were in the middle of a field and Warren couldn't see any house anywhere. "Where's the house?" he questioned.

"Just wait," The professor said and continued to drive. The gravel drive way took them up a small rise and when they reached the top Warren could see the house. The hill was much steeper on this side and it was clear to Warren why he couldn't see the house from the road. It was also clear that Professor Diglebe hadn't been all that honest when he described his home. It was amazing. It was a large stone building probably three times the size of the house at Fable Haven. It also had a large wrap around porch that did not look at all out of place, and what appeared to be a tower sticking up from the back.

"Wow," Was all that Warren could say. He had never seen such a large house and the best part was that he didn't get to just look at it he got to stay in it. He could just imagine all the rooms that needed to be explored. Being away from Fable Haven was not going to be as bad as Warren had originally thought it would be.

The car pulled to a stop in front of the large mansion, but Warren stayed put in his seat to busy looking up at the castle like house to even notice that they had stopped. "Do you want to go in?" The professor asked with a smile that was slowly getting bigger.

"Can I? "Warren seemed completely out of it for a moment as he looked away from the mansion. Garrard could see the excitement in the boy's eyes, it was ready to over flow.

"Of course you can!" Professor Diglebe said the laugh that had been building in him escaping as Warren jumped from the car and ran up the large stone steps that led to the door. As the Professor began to unload the back of his car he heard Warren's voice coming from the open door.

"This is so cool!"


End file.
